Microsoft Patent Reveals Plans To Make USB-C Smaller

USB-C, the smaller, faster and reversible new USB port, could become even more compact in the future, at least on Microsoft devices. A patent reveals that Microsoft is working on a technique to make the USB-C port smaller and thinner, despite using the same cables.

One of the Microsoft patents was filed back in April of 2017 and details how the USB-C port (on a smartphone or laptop, for example), can be made thinner by using a special adhesive or epoxy. Even though Microsoft also owns the patent for a smaller and thinner cable, the patent does mention that existing USB-C cables would also work with this thinner version.

Another patent by the Redmond company is complimentary and doesn’t mention the cable or the USB-C connector itself, but details how it’s possible to make the enclosure around the USB-C connector itself smaller. This lower thickness would also be uniform and “aesthetically pleasing.”

Microsoft has slowly but surely been expanding its use of USB-C into her products. The company was rather reluctant at first to the new connector on its Surface devices, but the smaller connector is now found on current Surface laptops, such as the Surface Book 2. It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft will be able to realize the ideas and concepts of its patents, and making USB-C even smaller could result in thinner and more compact devices overall.